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Swoop Airlines landed at the Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport on Monday as it launched a four-day-a-week service to Hamilton, Ontario.
As per tradition with new carriers, Swoop was welcomed with a water cannon salute from the airport fire department.
Swoop spokesperson Bert van der Stegem who is Head of Commercial and Finance, said the ultra low-cost carrier likes to keep things simple in an effort to keep the cost of flights down and pricing is about stimulating demand.
“The model is a so called ‘a la carte’ model – you pay for the options you choose to add on to the price of a basic ticket.”
While the basic one-way fare is currently $59 from Moncton to Hamilton, customers will have to pay extra for things such as carry-on bags, checked luggage, Wi-Fi access and refreshments.
“There is tremendous pent up demand. There is a strong desire to reconnect with family and friends and we think our model is well suited to assist in the economic recovery of your province,” noted van der Stege.
Swoop is using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft which seats 189 passengers.
Van der Stege said the first flight from Hamilton on Monday had 162 passengers on board.
Starting June 17, Swoop will offer twice-weekly direct non-stop service from Moncton to Edmonton.
Swoop was established in 2018 as an independent subsidiary of WestJet.
